I’ve received a number of emails from people wondering what my new digs at Quilts, Inc., look like so I thought to blog about how I decorated my space.

I wanted to create an office that was welcoming, creative, and clean (not cluttered!), so comfy chairs were on my list of wants. I found a pair of vintage chairs quilted in blue velvet at an antique store, but I didn’t care for the color of the arms and legs, so I painted them black.

I also got an off-white desk at a hotel consignment warehouse, but since I’m so picky about color, over the holidays I painted it charcoal gray:

Green plants also keep a place cheery, so I bought plenty of them. Surprisingly, I haven’t killed any yet!

I made a patchwork bulletin board a while ago, which I mounted onto foamcore, then framed. I like to work three months out, so I always have three calendars up. Now that I’m looking at it, I realize the International Quilt Festival/Cincinnati is only three weeks away! Yay!

Patchwork bulletin board with my calendars. Quilt by Bonnie Ouellette who knows I have a slight obsession with The Sopranos.

Mixed-media assemblages with whimsy keep me smiling:

Assemblage with found objects made by Patricia Chapman of Boulder, CO.

As does handmade art. A few years ago artist Debbi Crane made a box for me with my initial on it and gave me a bunch of mini-handmade books inside…

Box made and given to me by artist Debbi Crane.

So I thought to repurpose it to store my business cards.

Right behind me, I keep some things that have meaning to me…like the picture of my godson, art by Lesley Riley, Beryl Taylor, and Kelli Perkins, and my “That was easy!” and “Insult” buttons. (Fortunately no one has made me mad yet, so I have not had to push the insult button.)

And the one item I love to gaze at throughout the day, what makes me smile most, would be the quilt my former Interweave colleagues made for me as a going away present. It is a reminder of what an amazing crew they are, and what they will always mean to me.

And I needed something to make me laugh, too, so I got a magnetic chalkboard that I have hung right by my door so I can leave important, time-sensitive messages for all my coworkers:

And Announcing The Fabric Winner!

First things first! Congratulations to Mary Brown! You are the winner of this week’s Maudlin-Free Monday fabric giveaway! Mary, please email me at pokeyb@quilts.com with your shipping address, and I will have the fabrics sent to you next week.

Why stop with bikini quilting? When I was ALONE at my sister’s house in Missouri in the summer time and with limited air conditioning I resorted to quilting in the nude, because the quilt was making me so warm.

What a wonderful space! It would certainly be a pleasure to work there. I work from home and don’t have a dedicated “office” space (I have to share the room with other purposes), but I do have lovely windows to look outdoors. That canvas is everchanging!

Thanks for the tour! I’m not very good at decorating and so I love seeing how other people decorate their homes and offices. Your office looks great! And I love how you always include Louie. He poses so nicely. I hope you didn’t have to press your insult button too much when we were dealing the “issues” with my first article at QA! haha

Hi Pokey, Your office is wonderful… as is your new home. Take a deep breath and enjoy!!! Thank you for taking the time to share you spaces. It’s a heart warming gift to see. 🙂
Congratulations to Mary! Yay!
~Christina in Cleveland
PS if you’re in the mood, there’s the Sewing and Quilting Expo up here next weekend…. hint hint hint. 🙂

First time to visit your site,loved the tour..The office looks very appealing with a vintage look…The bikini chalkboard fit’s just perfect….I would like to thank you for all that you give back to the quilting community. It’s the very people like yourself that keeps me coming back to learn as much as i can..